Description
Mortlake Cemetery was built to provide for Hammersmith burials when the old cemetery on Margravine Road was full. It was originally designed on a grander scale but the funds ran out and only one small Gothic brick chapel was built, although the original planting had great variety and there are numerous trees in the cemetery. In 1939 Mortlake Crematorium was built to the north of Mortlake Cemetery.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hammersmith New Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Clifford Avenue/Mortlake Road |
| Postcode | SW14 7BU |
| What3Words | ///unique.vague.lasts |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Richmond |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | opens Mon-Sat 9am; Sun/Good Fri 10am; closes 4pm (Nov - Jan); 5pm (Oct/Feb); 6pm (Mar/Sep); 7pm (Aug/Apr); 8pm (May - Jul). Xmas Day 10am-3pm |
| Facilities | Toilet |
| Public Transport | Tube: Kew Gardens (District). Rail: Mortlake. Bus: 190 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Mortlake Cemetery dates from the early C20th and was built to provide for Hammersmith burials when the old cemetery on Margravine Road (q.v.) was full, hence Mortlake Cemetery's occasional name as Hammersmith New Cemetery. It is on a triangular site between two busy roads, which was originally designed on a grander scale and to have two chapels, but the funds ran out and only one was built, a small Gothic brick chapel positioned centrally, adjacent to which is a slight mound of grass with brick steps and seating. Around the chapel circular paths are laid out, from which further paths radiate to the boundaries and to the main entrance on Clifford Avenue. This has 'two sets of fanciful gate piers with acorn finials' (Meller), and a brick and timbered lodge inside the gates. There are numerous trees throughout the cemetery and its original planting was 'lavish and extraordinarily varied'. Among those buried here are James Collins (d.1934), Secretary to the Treasury in Australia whose signature is on all Australian bank notes issued between 1910 and 1926, and Arthur Haynes, TV comedian who was TV Personality of the Year in 1961, who died in 1966. Adjacent to the cemetery to the north and separated by a tall hedge is Mortlake Crematorium (q.v.). In 1995 plans were underway to expand the cemetery on land between Clifford Avenue and the riverside since the cemetery was then full.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ200762 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Site Management | Environment Department, Cemeteries and Facilities Office |
| Dates | 1926 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Richmond |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Mortlake Crematorium was the first joint crematorium to be be established under its own Act of Parliament in 1936. The Crematorium was built at a cost of £27,000 to the north of Mortlake Cemetery and was opened by Lord Horder in January 1939. The large, austere and rather sprawling brick crematorium building has a wide sweep of drive in front, with a number of beds of ornamental planting within a circular lawn. Behind there are colonnades and a rose garden, with further formal gardens beyond this with lawns and a central open pavilion. A path runs around the edge of this garden area, with brick balustrading and short flights of steps at two of the corners and backing onto the hedge that separates it from the cemetery. Throughout the grounds are various ornamental trees and shrubs.
North Sheen Cemetery was opened in 1909 to provide for Fulham burials when the old cemetery on Fulham Palace Road was full, hence its occasional name as Fulham New Cemetery. The cemetery was laid out with a grid layout of paths and initially had a temporary chapel, which was replaced by a small red brick chapel in 1931. Near this is the memorial garden to both world wars. The original boundary railings and its stone gate piers and ornamental gates at the main entrance on Lower Richmond Road.
The two adjoining Bowling Greens of the former Watney's Brewery were part of the sports facilities provided by Watneys Social Club for their workers from 1919. The Social Club closed in 2000 and the Greens became unused from then. The significance of the site lies in the mid-C17th gate piers and gates of Old Cromwell House at the entrance to the greens, which had been moved from their original site in 1961/2. In 2010 planning permission was granted for a 76-home development on the old bowling green site, due for completion summer 2011.